Falling to Nothing
by dragonprotector
Summary: After being sent on a mission, Vincent mysteriously vanishes. Vincent's life now hangs in the balance and only a miracle can save him.
1. A mission gone wrong

**Chapter 1 – A mission gone wrong**

The wasteland was unforgivable, cracked surface, extreme heat and guard hounds at every turn. Reeve had assigned Vincent to this inhospitable landscape to try and find any sign of the people who had been disappearing over the last few weeks. Reeve had informed him that more and more people were disappearing making every town; village and city live in panic with the fear of becoming the next one to disappear. Bang. Cerberus fired three bullets into the guard hounds chest making it fall to the ground in a heap at Vincent's feet. Crimson eyes looked ahead and saw the change in clouds as they began to mix together and change colour to create a huge storm cloud that swept across the sky. After noticing the storm cloud which was approaching rapidly he looked around the wasteland to located a temporally shelter, which was an overhanging rock.

The clouds ominously huddled together, their dark curves mocking the landscape, with a crack they burst open and the rain, slow at first, fell, plummeted to the dry ground. The rain poured from the sky like tears of a mourner and pounded the cracked earth below. Howling, whirling, freezing winds were merciless to the gunman as he hid beneath the rocks trying to maintain his body temperature as best as he could. Streaks lighting ripped through the sky effortlessly as it was being chased the thunder's gunshot like roars.

On the rocks opposite the shelter where Vincent hid from the storms fury a shadowy figure lay close to the rocks, its form covered by the heavy rain making it almost impossible to see. Slowly the figure carefully placed a rifle in-between the grove of one of the rocks and got ready to fire at the gunman.

Vincent watched the landscape carefully looking for any signs of danger. Suddenly a feeling of danger washed over him, he stood up and saw a figure on the rocks opposite him. Raising his own gun, Vincent watched the figure carefully. Gunfire was unleashed Vincent ducked out of the way and looked at what had been fired. A dart. Crimson eyes flashed brighter as he turned to see that the figure was gone from its previous location.

_I have to get out of range_ Vincent thought as he began to climb down the sheltered rocks and ran across the wasteland trying to look for a good shooting point. Not long after he ran across the wasteland the sound of another shot went off, this time the dart only just missed his face. Looking to the side of him, he saw the faint outline of a curved rock which was raised in the middle and sloped at the sides. Reaching the sloping rock Vincent hid under the arch and waited.

After the first and second dart missed its target the figure decided to move location. The curved rock which was raised in the middle and sloped at the sides seemed like an ideal place to wait for its target. Suddenly it saw with its stone, cold eyes the target ran under the arch where it was. The figure decided to wait for Vincent to emerge.

Vincent stood under the arch for a while waiting for any sign of life, convinced there was nothing he began to walk from under the arch. He took a few steps before something pierced his neck on the right side. Quickly he looked up and saw the figure from before. All of a sudden the muscles in his arms began to go numb and he could no long raise them, then the muscles in his legs began shake. Vincent looked up and saw the blurry shape of the figure coming down the rocks towards him. His vision blurred and his eyelids became heavy, eventually his legs gave way from underneath him as the liquid in the dart began to be transported around his bloodstream. He lay there on the floor and saw a pair of boots walking towards him and then everything went black.

**Authors Note: Thank you for reading the first chapter. Please review. See you next chapter.**


	2. An Unwelcome Awakening

**Chapter 2 – An Unwelcome Awakening**

Yuffie woke up to the sound of her phone ringing; she flipped it open and answered it.

"Hello"

"Hello Yuffie"

"Reeve, you better have a good excuse for waking me up early"

"Yuffie its 9:30 am"

"It's still early, so what do you need?"

"Yuffie, it's about Vincent"

"What about him"

"He's disappeared!

"What!"

"I sent him on a mission and during it he disappeared"

"I'll be right over"

"Yuffie tell the others"

"Alright. Bye"

Yuffie raced down the stairs to Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE who had stayed the night. "What's wrong Yuffie?" Tifa asked worried.

"Vincent's gone missing"

"What?" Cloud exclaimed as he stood up

"Reeve sent him on a mission and he's vanished"

"Come on lets go to the WRO" Cloud explained

It took Vincent a while to refocus his eyesight. Objects swam in and out of his vision. What he saw didn't reassure him, a cracked ceiling made of stone, it looked too familiar. He couldn't move his head or the rest of his body; crimson eyes looked around the room and saw that he was bound to a cold, stone table. Somebody entered the doorway with a clipboard and dress in a white lab coat. Panic took over Vincent's body as he desperately tried to break free of the straps that attached him to the table. "It's no use Valentine, not even you can't break free of these" the man said. Vincent squinted at the torch light that the man shone in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Vincent demanded.

"I am shocked, you don't remember me?"

Vincent couldn't think straight the tranquilizer was still affecting his judgment and actions; all he could do was stay silent.

"Vincent Valentine, still in the dark even after all these years"

Vincent managed to mumble something weakly.

"What was that?"

"H...Hojo"

"It's about time"

Hojo came into Vincent's vision with a syringe in his hand filled with a glowing liquid. "This time Vincent…" Hojo began as he approached Vincent with the syringe. "…your demons won't be able to save you" The syringe broke the skin of Vincent's neck. The liquid went into his bloodstream causing him to scream out in agony. The pain was mainly from the liquid inside syringe although the needle end was pushed all the way in his skin which made it red and inflamed. Hojo roughly pulled it out leaving a scratch along Vincent's skin. Not long after his vision began to blur and then everything went black.

Upon waking up for the second time Vincent noticed that his leather shirt had been removed. Looking at his pale chest he noticed all of the scars that were engraved into his skin. The sound of a door smashing into the wall echoed the room making Vincent look towards it. Then Hojo entered with a smirk on his face and an evil glint in his eyes Vincent shivered and sweated, pure terror had taken over. He watched Hojo carefully, every movement, everything he picked up. Hojo opened a draw in one of the cupboards and picked up some medical instruments and put them on a counter where Vincent couldn't see. Then he opened the cupboards themselves filled with different bottles which contained strange liquids. Vincent didn't want to know what Hojo was going to him, but he knew whatever it is it was going to be unpleasant. Hojo approached slowly with everything he got from the cupboard on a medical trolley. Vincent's heartbeat thudded rapidly like the thundering wings of a caged bird. He tried his best to push himself into the table in a desperate attempt to get away. "Calm down Valentine I haven't done anything yet" _Yet_ Vincent thought.

Hojo looked at the panicking man before him. Slowly he raised a scalpel. Vincent could only watch helplessly as Hojo approached him. Pain shot through his chest as the scalpel was pushed down and sliced the skin open. Hojo picked up one of the containers which was a yellowy/ green colour and poured it onto the wound. It was like a thousand burning needles were jabbed in at the same time, shooting up and down his chest. Sweat burst out of him and a wave of nausea hit him. He collapsed against the cold table, his chest in searing pain that got worse with each passing second. His muscles cramped up almost tearing from his bones, his hands curled into claws. He lay there, unable to do anything except suffer. He could not even call out. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he gasped and panted.

"Had enough boy?" Hojo sneered.

Vincent didn't answer; he didn't want to know what Hojo had in stall for him. All of a sudden the restraints were undone. A metal chain which was fastened to the floor was attached around his neck. "I'll let you wander around the room, if you behave" Hojo laughed.

Vincent's eyes glowed with anger as he lunged at Hojo. The chain tightened around Vincent's neck and was forced to stop his attack.

"Fine, if you're going to be like that…" Hojo began as he walked out of the room. A few second later he re-entered with a whip with 8 knotted ropes attached to the main handle. Vincent's anger filled eyes changed to fear filled ones. He had experienced this type of torture before. "…then you will have to be punished" Hojo finished as he lifted the whip up ready for its first strike.

**Authors Note: Please rate and review**


	3. Tortured and Alone

**Chapter 3 – Tortured**** and Alone**

CRACK. The whip collided with Vincent's skin making it split open. Hojo raised the whip again and swiftly brought it down; this time hitting Vincent's side. Blood poured out of the wounds and ran onto the floor. Vincent resisted shedding any tears in Hojo's company; he did want to give Hojo the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. After about thirty minutes the whipping stopped. Hojo walked out of the room to put the whip away. He re-entered the room and undid the chain from the floor. It wasn't long before Vincent felt harsh pull on his long, raven black hair as he was pulled painfully onto his feet. Hojo kept a firm grip on Vincent's hair as he walked along an old stone corridor dragging Vincent behind him. After a few minutes they reached a metal door with a small sliding panel for a food tray. Opening the door Hojo threw Vincent in so he hit the stone wall of the room hard. Groaning he tried to stand up only to be knocked back against the wall again. The sound of chains reached Vincent's ears. Slowly he looked down and that the end of the chain was attached to the wall. Then Hojo removed the golden gauntlet harshly so it scraped across the abused skin.

Suddenly Hojo pulled out a chrome-shiny device from his pocket and set Vincent's left hand between its sharp, rusty jaws. Vincent couldn't flinch or even look away from the horror he was about to endure. He couldn't scream as rusty metal pierced his flesh, clamping through his hand to meet in the middle with a solid click which made Vincent sick to his stomach. When Hojo moved the device away, a heavy weight remained; a device was pinned through the once-thick and complete muscle between forefinger and thumb. Hojo began to laugh as he looked at the pain that Vincent was trying to cover up. Walking out of the room and locking the door Hojo left the room leaving Vincent on his own in the small prison he was in. Crimson eyes looked down at his left hand and saw an object embedded in his hand. A Property tag. His eyes began to fill up with tears as he looked at the tag ashamed and distressed.

Cloud and the others had arrived at the WRO where Reeve met them at the entrance. "Reeve what happened?" Cloud asked

"I sent Vincent on a mission to investigate the disappearances of the last few weeks, when all of a sudden he disappeared"

"Where did you send him?"

"The wastelands"

"Let's go" Cloud commanded to his team behind.

Cloud and the others searched everywhere across the wasteland and found nothing that could give them any leads to Vincent's disappearance. "Guys over here!" Yuffie shouted. The others ran up to Yuffie's location.

"What is it Yuffie?" Cloud asked.

"Look" she replied pointing at the ground.

Cloud crouched down to observe what she was talking about when he saw it. A tranquilizer dart and not far behind it five claw marks in the shape of a hand.

Vincent didn't know how long he had been in the cell. He had lost track of time completely. He was pacing around the cell hoping to find a way out. Suddenly Vincent collapsed onto the floor gasping in pain and clutching his chest. His shoulders and neck began to ache and his body began to feel numb. The stone floor was cold and uncomfortable to lie on, each stone dug into his skin. Vincent remained there for a long time hoping that the pain in his chest would somehow disappear. His head kept replaying memories of the past _Lucrecia, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Nanaki, Barret, Cid, Reeve, Cait. I'm never going to see them again _He thought as he lay there curled up to try and maintain his body temperature as best as he could.

The small sliding panel at the bottom of the door slide across and a tray came in before the panel shut again. Vincent looked at the tray in front of him and saw what his meal was. The meal if you could call it that was made up of a bowl of dirty water and throw away scraps off a carcass which had begun to rot. Quickly Vincent threw the tray away from him.

The metal door opened which revealed Hojo; slowly he looked around the room. "I see you didn't appreciate your meal" Hojo said witting information down on his clipped papers. Vincent growled and lunged at Hojo but once again the chains restrained him from getting to him.

"My, my it seems you are more badly behaved than a thought Valentine" Hojo commented as he walked closer to Vincent. Vincent glared at Hojo as he got closer to him. A sudden noise of chains was heard and before Vincent knew it he was in another room.

This room was a lot different from the last one; it was of large size and had no chains or loops on the wall. However the other conditions were still the same especially how dull it was. Hojo half dragged Vincent into the room and then locked the door after he exited. Vincent looked confused _Why would Hojo just leave me here?_ He thought as he looked around the room. Suddenly Vincent heard growling coming from a dark corner of the room. Looking closer Vincent saw two huge dog like creatures known as hellhounds. Their dark furs, yellow eyes and powerful jaws were almost camouflaged in the corner. Vincent was getting ready incase the creatures wanted a fight, but the he realized…. He had no gauntlet, no gun and now thanks to the injection he got earlier no demon transformations.

Vincent was all alone.

**Authors Note; Thank you for reading this chapter, sorry for the shortness and long wait. Please review.**


	4. The Struggle

**Chapter 4 - The Struggle **

After finding the tranquilizer dart Cloud split off the team to have a better chance of finding Vincent. Yuffie was searching across the east side of the wastelands when she saw an old building in the distance, immediately Yuffie radioed Cloud to inform him.

"Cloud, come in Cloud"

"Yuffie, what's wrong?"

"There's an old building in the distance to the East side of the wastelands"

"Okay we'll meet you there"

Yuffie was waiting outside the building when a roar came from the structure. Yuffie turned around to face the building and then turned her head again when Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE showed up. Yuffie explained to Cloud that she would investigate the building and meet up with them at the WRO.

"Are you sure Yuffie?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm sure Cloud, and anyway no-one will be able to detect me"

"Alright we will meet you at the WRO"

With Cloud and the others turning around to go to the WRO Yuffie entered the building.

The structure was old and falling down. Yuffie looked around every corner to see if there were any guards in which she found none. _You would think that someone would be keeping watch. Maybe Vincent isn't in here after all. _Suddenly she heard the roaring again and ran in the direction of the noise. After following the noise she saw two open cell rooms along a dark corridor. She inspected the doors of each one. The one to her left said "Hellhounds" while the other had the sign "Project V". Yuffie gasped in shock and ran into the room only to find the abandoned gauntlet and next to it Vincent's gun both in a corner of the cell. _Vincent_ Yuffie thought as she picked up the gauntlet and gun.

Vincent stood still facing the two creatures before him. They snarled and growled at him as they approached closer and closer, Vincent kept his focus them but couldn't help but notice the opening to a corridor behind the two creatures. Suddenly they lunged at him with impossible speed knocking Vincent back as they sunk their teeth into his skin. He screamed in agony as the creatures attacked again and again working as a team to bring the gunman down. Vincent deflected one with his left arm but got pounced on by the other one. The deflected creature got up and joined the other one with tearing the gunman apart. Each attack brought flashbacks of him fighting monsters with his team and turning into his demons to save them. Vincent tried to stand up only to have his back crushed against the hard, stone wall with the hellhounds still attacking him. One of the creatures bit Vincent's unprotected left arm making it pour with blood. Not long after they were attacking him again one scratched him across the chest while the other bit his neck before they threw him to the floor and vanished into the dark corridors.

Yuffie was walking through the different rooms within the building calling Vincent's name hoping for an answer. She stopped and hid as two hellhounds walked past her. Then she heard faint whimpering noises coming from the room ahead of her to the right. Slowly she walked into the doorway and saw Vincent lying on the bloodstained floor on his side coughing and crying out in pain. "Vincent!" Yuffie shouted as she ran up to him. Reaching him she fell to her knees beside him and put one hand on his side and her other hand under his head. "Oh no" cried under her breath as she saw his injuries. His clothes were ripped to shreds and blood rushed out from his injuries all over his body. Vincent's eyes slowly focused on Yuffie while coughing violently. "Don't worry Yuffie…I'm okay" he rasped weakly between coughs as his face was distorted with pain. "Hey, hey easy there Vincent" she softly reassured as she stroked his raven black hair.

"What…ar…are…"

"Shhhhh, come on Vincent we need to get out of here"

Yuffie looked at Vincent's broken form and noticed the heavy chained collar around his neck and also the violent shudders were pulsing through his body every now and again.

"Come on Vincent let's get out of here" Yuffie said as she slid her hand that under his head to the back of his shoulders and slowly began to lift him into a sitting position. At about a quarter of the way Vincent gasped in pain and pulled back. Yuffie looked at his and notices vicious wounds on his back and chest. _There is no way he is going to be able to sit up_ Yuffie thought. Suddenly the sound of distant footsteps caught Yuffie and Vincent's attention. Vincent's dull crimson eyes opened in panic as soon as the sound of footsteps got closer and closer.

"Yuffie…get…out…of…here" Vincent instructed weakly.

"No I'm not leaving you here Vincent"

"You…ha…have to"

Despite the fact she didn't want to leave Vincent's side her instincts told her that she would have to if she wanted to remain undetected. Yuffie hid behind one of the corners which were cloaked by the shadows. She quietly gasped as she saw Hojo walk into the room where Vincent was. "So boy, have you learnt your lesson?" Hojo sneered. Yuffie held up her Conformer so she could see the reflection of the room where Hojo and Vincent were, but what she saw shocked her.

Hojo pulled the chain which was attached around Vincent's neck and pulled him harshly to his feet. The injuries he sustained in the fight had weakened him greatly; his legs were getting weaker with every step he took. Looking down at Vincent who was struggling to keep up, Hojo pulled the chain quickly catching Vincent off guard and forcing him to hurry up on his battered legs. Hojo pulled out some keys and unlocked a door and walked into the room. Faded crimson eyes looked around the room and saw all that he was in the same lab in which he had been in previously. It wasn't long before Vincent's chains were attached to the floor again.

Yuffie had followed Vincent and Hojo _I can't believe Vincent didn't do anything to stop Hojo controlling him with that chain, what is the matter with him?_ She crept behind the two and found out that they were heading into a room; silently she followed and stopped out side the room and looked through the key hole.

Hojo went into the back room and pulled out the 8 knotted whip again and a belt and approached Vincent. "You're going to be Shinra's greatest weapon" Hojo swung the belt at Vincent making him flinch. "What are you going to do about it Valentine?" Hojo shouted as he hit Vincent again. "Get mad" Hojo continued to hit Vincent with the belt and decided that it wasn't getting him anywhere, so Hojo changed to the 8 knotted whip. Vincent's eyes filled with fear as Hojo approached him and started hitting him with that instead. Suddenly something inside Vincent snapped. Crimson eyes turned blood red as Vincent lunged at Hojo only to be pulled back by the chains. Smirking Hojo began to undo the chains only to be bitten by Vincent. Hojo looked up and saw Vincent exposing his teeth in a snarl like that of an animal. _I think he's ready_ Hojo thought as he exited to room leaving the belt and whip on the floor.

Yuffie hid in the shadows as Hojo came out of the room and locked the door before exiting down the corridor. She let out a quiet sigh of relief before looking at the door; Hojo had taken the keys with him. Yuffie took out her Conformer and slide it down the side of the door, she moved the Conformer across the lock inside the door until it the blades had sawn through the lock. Yuffie grinned and opened the door making dull light escape into the room and there was Vincent in the middle of the room, attached to the floor by the chain that was fastened around a collar shaped metal around his neck.

"Vincent" Yuffie whispered trying to get his attention.

Vincent didn't turn his head or give any signal that he heard her. Yuffie moved closer to him so she was in his line of sight. "Vincent come on I'll get you out of here" Yuffie reached for the chains but Vincent growled at her. "Vincent it's me, its Yuffie" Vincent stared at her as she tried to approach him again. "I'm here to help you Vincent". He watcher her carefully as she approached where the chains were connected to the floor. Slowly she began to undo the chains that were attached to the floor. "Come on Vincent lets get out of here" Yuffie gently pulled Vincent to his feet letting him lean on her for support as they quickly went out of the room after Yuffie shut the door.

Hojo was walking back through the corridors checking his clipboard for notes he had made over the days on Vincent. Hojo finally reached the door where he left Vincent on the other side. Hojo slid his key in and turned it before entering. Once in the room Hojo noticed that Vincent was missing. "How can that be?" Hojo asked himself. He rushed out the door but noticed the lock of the door had been sawn through.

Yuffie had managed to get Vincent out of the horrid building and far from it as well. She half dragged Vincent across the wasteland and spotted a cave up in the rocks. Looking over at Vincent he saw that he was loosing consciousness fast. "I'm sorry if this hurts Vince" Yuffie said as she slowly put Vincent on her back surprised at how light he was as she carried him up into the cave. Once there she searched her holder on her back for two items, finding them she sat next to Vincent who she had sat down against the cave's side. "Vince here is your gun and gauntlet…I found them when I was looking for you." Vincent didn't say anything he only looked up at her with fear reflected in his eyes. "Hey you don't have to be afraid of me...you know me I won't hurt you" Yuffie slowly reached up to his shoulder in which he flinched. She kept her hand on his shoulder and slowly pulled him down so his head was resting on her lap, not long after he closed his eyes. Yuffie reached into her pocket and rang Reeve while stroking Vincent's hair.

"Reeve"

"Yuffie"

"I found Vincent; he's in a really bad way, hurry up and get someone to pick us up immediately"

"Where are you?"

"We are in a cave a few feet off the ground in the wastelands"

"Okay"

"Bye Reeve" Yuffie put her phone back in her pocket and turned her attention back to Vincent. "Don't worry Vincent, We'll get you back to your normal self again" _I hope._

**Authors Note: Please review. Thank you for reading see you next chapter.**


	5. Awaken

**Chapter 5 – Awaken**

A beeping noise brought Vincent out of unconsciousness. He felt stiff like he had been sleeping in a coffin for 30 years again. Slowly Vincent began to open his eyes and noticed he was in a brightly lit room. His eyes were still slightly glazed as he looked around the room after adjusting to the light. He noticed that he had a breathing mask on "Vincent?" A voice came from his side. Vincent tried to turn his head but a sudden pain prevented it. Vincent lay there in silence until he saw someone's face in front of him. "Vincent" The voice came again. Vincent focused his eyes on the person in front of him, He recognised them as Yuffie

"It's great to see you wake Vince" She said wrapping her arms around him. "You've been asleep for a while"

Vincent looked at her slightly confused.

"You've been out for 10 days, I thought…I would never see you again" she said the last part of the sentence on the verge of tears. Suddenly the door swung open revealing Cloud, Tifa and Reeve. "Vincent, its good to see you awake" Cloud said as he walked through the door. Vincent saw a figure at the corner of his eye. Swiftly looking around his eyes lay on a doctor, fear immediately consumed Vincent's mind.

"Good to see you awake Mr Valentine, I must say you had us worried" the doctor was male and about an inch shorter than Cloud. The doctor had brown hair and eyes and looked about in his early 30's. Vincent didn't tear his eyes away from the doctor as he stepped closer towards him. Vincent looked around quickly trying to find a way out. He noticed that his wires and tubes were attached to his bare chest and arms. As he looked up he saw that he was attached to an IV drip as well as another drip filled with blood. Vincent forward again and noticed the doctor was right in front of him, however Vincent saw the doctor as Hojo.

Vincent panicked. The heart monitor he was attached to began beeping quicker and quicker as the doctor pulled out a syringe. Vincent couldn't take it anymore; he pulled all of the wires out of his arms and chest as well as pulling off the oxygen mask. He managed to drive onto the floor and made a run for the door. However the amount of pain from his injuries was too much and he fell onto his knees. Cloud and the others looked confused and shocked of his sudden outburst. Vincent managed to drag himself into a corner and pulled up his knees to his chest and tries his best to get into the corner as much as he could.

Cloud turned around to the doctor and began to explain for Vincent's actions. "I'm sorry about that he is scared of needles." Cloud said to the doctor, he couldn't say that Vincent was experimented on by a scientist, so fear of needles would have to do. Slowly Cloud walked up to Vincent and bent down so he was eye level with him. Cloud reached his hand out to Vincent who flinched and tried to back himself further into the corner. "Vincent, it's alright no-one's going to hurt you" Cloud said as he moved a bit closer to where Vincent was. Vincent couldn't back away any more instead he just sat there trembling in fear. Sighing Cloud called Tifa and Yuffie over to see if they could get him to move. Tifa and Yuffie slowly approached Vincent who had stayed in the same corner.

"Don't be afraid Vincent, you're going to be alright" Tifa assured him as she touched his left arm. Slowly he looked down and saw that is left arm had been bandaged. Vincent stared at her, his eyes flickering with fear. "The doctor isn't going to hurt you he just wants to help you" Tifa continued while Yuffie put her hand on his shoulder.

The doctor walked up to Vincent who had set his gaze on him. "I'm not going to hurt you" the doctor said as he approached Vincent. Reeve, Cloud, Yuffie and Tifa held Vincent down as the doctor prepared to give him the injection. Vincent struggled against his friends as the syringe got closer. The tip of the needle pieced Vincent's pale white skin and the liquid within the tube was injected in. Vincent with all of his strength managed to get his friends off him and pinned the doctor down against the wall. The doctor met Vincent's enraged stare. The doctor was now faced with an enraged warrior who was looking directly at him. A growl escaped Vincent's throat as his eyes began to turn blood red. Vincent was about to crush the doctors throat with his right hand when Cloud grabbed him from behind. "Vincent! Stop!" Cloud shouted as he grabbed Vincent and pulled him off the doctor. Vincent was trying his best to fight Cloud off but the swordsman wouldn't let go. The doctor stood up and went out the room. A few minutes later he came back with another syringe which was filled with a sedative.

"Do you think you can hold him still?" the doctor asked Cloud who nodded.

Vincent was looking at Cloud and then at the doctor, he noticed that the doctor had another syringe. Cloud felt Vincent shaking and trying to get away _He's never going to keep still as long as a doctor is in the room._ Cloud thought._ Wait a minute._ "Do you think you can leave the room for a minute?" Cloud asked the doctor who nodded and walked out the room shutting the door behind him. Once the doctor was gone Cloud released his grip on Vincent and watched him run into a corner and sit there curled up like he had done before. "Vincent I'm sorry" Cloud apologised. Vincent was hyperventilating the experience just had made him distressed. Reeve noticed Vincent was beginning to shiver violently as he sank miserably on the floor of the room. Yuffie who had also notice this got the sheet from the hospital bed and began to walk towards him. "Hey guys can you leave the room for a few minutes please" Yuffie said looking at the others. They looked at each other before walking out the room.

Yuffie turned her attention to Vincent who was looking at the floor. "Vincent" Yuffie whispered alerting him off her presence. She looked at the shivering form in front of her; she noticed the wounds of what remained of Hojo's torture. "Don't be afraid Vincent, I won't hurt you" she assured as she slowly began to put the sheet around him. At first he tried to get away from it as if he didn't know what it was. After wrapping the sheet around him Yuffie slowly put her hand on his shoulder and began to pull him down into her arms so his head was resting on her right shoulder. She noticed that he was incredibly thin and that she could see every bone in his body. _Oh Vincent, what did Hojo do to you? _

**_Authors Note: Sorry it took so long to update I had alot of exams over the last couple of weeks. _**


	6. Nightmares

**Chapter 6 – Nightmares**

Later that day Vincent was released from the hospital after Cloud managed to persuaded the doctors to let Vincent go home with him and Tifa. Cloud had asked Cid to bring the airship to pick them. When he arrived he brought the rest of AVALANCHE with him. Cloud walked onto the Shera to talk to the comrades and crew members. "When Vincent comes here, don't make eye contact with him or try to approach him" Cloud said looking at everyone.

"Why what the hells going on Spiky?" Barret asked

"Well after he disappeared on the mission he…" Cloud was cut off by Tifa informing him that Vincent was going to board soon. "…I'll tell you later" he finished as he went down with Tifa to meet with Yuffie who was ready to get Vincent on the Shera.

"Come on Vincent" Yuffie said as she tried to get him onto the Shera. Vincent didn't move, he stood there frozen on the spot. "Come on Vincent we're going to take you back to the Seventh Haven" She tried to pull on his arm but he still didn't move towards the ship instead he sunk to the floor. Sighing she kneeled in front of him and took his hand in her own. "Okay, what's wrong Vincent?" she begun while brushing his hair out of his face "What are you scared of?" Vincent stared at her uncertain of what to do. Yuffie wrapped her arms around him so his face was buried in her neck. Slowly he looked over Yuffie's form and saw everyone that was on board the airship; immediately he tried to pull back. "Shhhhh…its okay, no one here is going to hurt you" She pulled away from him and looked at his face; it was completely drained of colour. Yuffie looked to the floor and then back up at Vincent. "Alright Vincent don't panic alright" she said as she pulled his bandana over his eyes. Being unable to see where he was going Vincent couldn't figure out where he was. He flinched as someone held onto his hand and began to lead him somewhere with them at his side. As he was walking he could her mutters of people around him, he tried to pull free of the persons grasp and turn the other way. "No, no it's okay" he heard Yuffie say as she pulled him back slightly.

"Come on it's alright" Yuffie said as she turned to go into the sick bay of the Shera. The doors slide apart and Yuffie led Vincent into the room and slowly sat him down on one of the chairs. She removed the bandana from his eyes and tied it back around his forehead. When her skin brushed against his forehead she noticed that it was a lot higher than the rest of his body. "Vincent, are you okay?" She looked at him and saw that his face was extremely pallid and his crimson eyes dull. Vincent held his head in his hands and Yuffie went to fetch a bucket and some water. As soon as Yuffie brought the bucket over to Vincent he vomited into it. Yuffie sat by him on another chair and rubbed his back soothingly. She noticed that he was beginning to throw up blood and called Tifa.

A few moments later Tifa came into the sick bay and saw Yuffie sitting by Vincent. "Is he alright?" Tifa asked as she walked up to them.

"He's been throwing up blood; I don't know what to do"

Tifa looked at Yuffie and then at Vincent before kneeling in front of him. She waited until he was done throwing up before talking to him. Yuffie went off to clean out the bucket while Tifa sat with Vincent with another bucket just in case. "Vincent" She said as she looked up at him. His eyes that were glazed over due to illness and exhaustion looked at her. Sensing this she stood up pressed a button on the chair which made it lie flat so it was a bed. At first the movement of the chair startled Vincent, but his thoughts were on Tifa who was looking in the cupboards for something. A few minutes past and Tifa came up to Vincent with a cover and a pillow. Uncertain of what was going to happen Vincent flinched and tried to make his escape only to be stopped by Yuffie had just re-entered the room. "It's alright Vincent; Tifa's just going to make you more comfortable." Yuffie said as she held one of his hands. Tifa put the pillow under his head and wrapped the cover around him, not long after he fell asleep.

Later that night Cid parked the airship and everyone got ready for bed, Tifa and Yuffie stayed with Vincent in the sick bay.

"What happened to him?" Tifa asked as she undid his bandana and replaced it with a wet cloth.

"It was horrible Tifa"

"What do you mean?"

"Hojo had him"

"Hojo? I thought he was dead"

"So did I but he's not, unfortunately"

"What did he do?"

"Hojo tortured him in some of the cruellest ways…"

Yuffie was cut of by Vincent tossing and turning in his sleep, immediately Tifa and Yuffie tried to wake him up. "N...no…Hojo…g…get awa…away from…m…me" Vincent mumbled in his sleep. Tifa and Yuffie looked at each other as Vincent began to thrash violently. "Vincent, Vincent wake up" Yuffie pleaded as she held down his wrists. Sweat had begun to form on his pallid skin as turned underneath his covers.

"Vincent it's us, its Tifa and Yuffie" Tifa said as she gently tried to stop him from thrashing.

"No! Hojo don't!" Vincent screamed. The sudden outburst caused Yuffie and Tifa to let go of him. He continued to scream as he gripped his head as if to shield it from an attacker.

"Vincent, calm down no-one's going to hurt you, just calm down" Yuffie said as Tifa pinned his hands to the chair.

Vincent's eyes opened but were glazed over with fear and distress. His breath was laboured as he looked around the room. Yuffie came around to Tifa who was looking at him in the eye but tried not to look to intimidating to scare him further than he already was. "It's alright Vincent, there's nothing to worry about, you're safe." Tifa said as she brushed some hair out of his face. A layer of sweat had formed on his pale form. Tifa and Yuffie could see his emotions clearly; he was scared and disorientated. They could see that he was trying to keep his eyes open so he wouldn't have to experience his nightmares again. "Vincent you need your rest" Yuffie said as she began to stroke his hair. Vincent whimpered in fear but eventually closed his eyes.

Tifa and Yuffie had never seen anything like this before; they were looking Vincent who was now a shadow of his former self.

**Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait. Please review and I will see you next update. Bye.**


	7. One Step at a Time

**Chapter 7 – One Step at a Time**

The next day the members of AVALANCHE gathered in the meeting room onboard the Shera. Yuffie and Tifa had left Vincent in the sick bay who was still sleeping. Reeve looked around the room and saw that everyone was there. "Now that we are all here, what are we going to do about Vincent?" Reeve asked as he looked around the room.

"Well we won't know where to start unless we know what happened to him while he was missing" Cid replied.

"Yuffie, you were the one who rescued him, did you see what happened to him?"

Yuffie looked up and saw everyone's eyes were on her. _God it's like being in a court room_ she thought. "I only saw a bit of what happened to him" She said.

"Like what?" Barret questioned.

"When I went to find him I walked along a corridor and found two doors one saying "Hellhounds" and the other saying "Project V". When entered the room saying "Project V" I saw Vincent's gauntlet on the floor as well as his gun. Then I heard growling up ahead and went to investigate. Two Hellhounds walked past me and I heard a whimpering coming from the room ahead and saw Vincent lying on the floor ripped to pieces…"

"So Hellhounds did this to him?" Barret asked.

"No, after I found him we hear footsteps and Vincent told me to get out of the building. I snuck around the corner and saw Hojo walk in the room. When I looked around the corner back into the room I saw Hojo controlling Vincent with a chain that was around Vincent's neck. I followed them then I heard the sound of whipping and growls. After a while Hojo came out the room and went up the hall. When I got into the room Vincent wasn't himself anymore, he was more animal than human. I don't know what Hojo did to him but what ever it is he will pay" She said the last part with such venom that even Barret and Cid were surprised. Moments later everyone heard a scream that echoed down the corridors of the Shera. _Vincent_ Yuffie thought as she ran out of the room on her way to the sick bay.

The screams got louder and louder as Yuffie got closer to the sick bay. The door slid open and she ran to Vincent who was sitting up cradling his left arm while rocking back and forth with tears streaming down his face.

"Vincent, Vincent what's wrong?" Yuffie asked as she ran up to him. He said nothing; he continued to cradle his left arm against his chest. "Let me see Vincent"

Yuffie slowly reached out and gentle pulled Vincent's left arm to her. Slowly she undid the bandages to reveal is abused skin underneath. As she looked down the arm towards his hand she noticed something between his forefinger and thumb. As she looked closer she saw a rusty metal object embedded in his skin. On the metal it read:

_Subject: Project V_

_Number: 109_

_Scientist: Professor Hojo_

The property tag as she came to realise was under the damaged folds of his skin and was clipped in the middle which held it in place. "Vincent we need to get this out" Yuffie said as she had a closer look at his hand. He pulled it away from her and tried to hide it from view. "Vincent, please its going to get infected if we don't sort it out." Yuffie said staring at him. Salty rivers ran down his face, his eyes were bloodshot and leaked with sadness and fear. Yuffie pulled Vincent close to her and draped the cover around him as shivers began to attack his body. "I know your scared Vincent, but listen…" She pulled away from him a bit so she could see his face. "…I'll make sure that when you get this metal thing out no-one is going to hurt you" Vincent put his head down so it was resting on her shoulder. "I promise"

She stroked his raven black hair and rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him down. A few minutes passed and Vincent had begun to calm down, Yuffie was about to reach for her phone when she felt Vincent's form slump against her. Even in his sleep he was whimpering miserably.

After lying Vincent back down and pulling the cover over him again Yuffie called Reeve. It wasn't long before he came into the room. "What's wrong Yuffie?"

"Look at this" Yuffie replied as she pulled Vincent's left arm from under the cover. Reeve was shocked to see a misshapen arm; he looked to where Yuffie was pointing and saw the embedded, slightly rusted metal. "We need to get this out Reeve" Yuffie said shaking her head.

"I'll tell Cid to change course so we can go to the WRO headquarters and see the doctors there.

"Okay thanks Reeve" Yuffie said as she carefully tucked the arm back underneath the cover.

"Oh and Yuffie…" Yuffie turned to face him. "…Vincent's really lucky to have you around" With that Reeve left the sick bay to inform Cid about their new flight co-ordinations.

Once they reached the WRO headquarters Yuffie blindfolded Vincent again to get him off the Shera and into the WRO headquarters where she then took him to the recovery unit. "What's the problem?" The male doctor asked as Yuffie brought Vincent in.

"There is a rusty metal object in his hand." Yuffie replied.

"Let's have a look then" The doctor walked up to Vincent and saw the mangled arm. As soon as the doctor touched it Vincent's arm twitched and Vincent tried to pull it away.

"No Vincent it's alright, calm down." Yuffie said as she held Vincent's right hand.

"Lie him down over here" The doctor said. Yuffie guide Vincent over to one of the beds and helped him lie down. The doctor put the railings up on one side of the bed encase Vincent fell off. Yuffie put Vincent's left arm on the table that was by the side of the bed. The doctor came up to them with a syringe that was filled with anaesthetic. Yuffie sat by Vincent and held his right hand.

"Vincent your going to feel a pinch and then you won't feel anything, just squeeze my hand if you can't cope okay" Yuffie said as she stroked his right hand. The doctor put the syringe into Vincent's left arm while Yuffie tried to keep Vincent calm. Vincent's right hand held Yuffie's hand tight as he felt the needle pierce his skin. After a few minutes Vincent's grasp got weaker and weaker until his hand was completely limp in hers. The doctor came by the side of Yuffie and attached a heart monitor to Vincent as well as an IV, after he walked back to the injured hand. Yuffie turned away as the doctor began to take the metal out of his hand. She was glad that she couldn't see what was happening because of all the sickening noises she could hear behind her. After a while she heard the doctor put down his tools and she decided to turn around. She saw the doctor stitching up Vincent's left hand.

"Is he okay?" Yuffie asked as the doctor began to bring Vincent around from unconsciousness.

"He should be, he might be a bit disorientated and light-headed when he wakes up but he will recover from it in a few hours."

"Thank you"

Once the doctor left the room Yuffie began to go and tell the others when Vincent grabbed her hand. "Don't…g…go" Vincent rasped he didn't think he would be able to cope being on his own surrounded by doctors. Yuffie sat back down next to him and smiled.

"Don't worry I'm not going anywhere"

Vincent sighed in relief and closed his eyes.

**Authors Note: Chapter 7 now done. See you next time. Bye.**


	8. Into Cold Water

**Chapter 8 – Into Cold Water**

After the visit to the headquarters AVALANCHE went back to the Shera to make it back to the Seventh Haven. Vincent was back in the sick bay with Yuffie sitting next to him along with Cloud. Crimson eyes opened and took in the surroundings. "How are you feeling Vincent?" Yuffie asked as she held his right hand.

"Where am I?"

"The sickbay on the Shera"

"Yuffie, can I speak with Vincent alone for a moment?" Cloud asked

"Err…sure" Yuffie brushed some hair out of Vincent's face as she stood "Don't worry Vincent. I'll be back soon"

Vincent watched her go out and then turned his attention back to Cloud.

"Vincent what happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it Cloud"

"Vincent please, you are not yourself, I just want to help, we all do but we can't help if we don't know what happened. Hojo did something to you what was it?"

"He...He injected me with something" Vincent closed his eyes and imagined what had happened. "After the injection was done I passed out, he then put me in a fight with a pair of hell hounds but…"

"But what?"

"I couldn't turn into my demons"

"You mean you didn't have the energy?"

"I did have enough energy but there was something stopping me from doing that"

"Like a magic seal or boundary?" Vincent nodded. "Is there away to unlock the demons?" Vincent looked down at his hands.

"I don't know"

Cloud sighed and stood up. He patted Vincent on the shoulder before walking out. "Don't worry Vincent we'll find a way"

_But how can you be so sure Cloud? _Vincent thought as he watched Cloud leave.

Vincent didn't know how long he stared at the door for. Seconds, minutes, hours, he didn't know. The sudden movement of The Shera jerking to a sharp left disrupted Vincent from his thoughts. He panicked as alarms around The Shera started to go off and flashing red. He tried to get out of the bed when the Shera turned another sharp turn knocking Vincent off is feet and onto his back, hitting his head on the way down. _What's going on?_ Vincent thought. Suddenly Vincent was thrown to the side of the room knocking him unconscious.

Yuffie ran through the corridors in the Shera trying to maintain her balance at the same time. She got to the sick bay and went inside to look for Vincent. Scanning the room she saw him lying on one side of the room unconscious. "Vincent" She said while shaking him but was given no response. The Shera was loosing altitude as it carried on plummeting to the sea. Upon impact the glass of the airship shattered allowing water to rush in; it didn't take long for the whole ship to fill up with water.

Cloud groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked around and saw that he was lying on a sandy beach; he continued to look around and saw the outline of another member of AVALANCHE. "Tifa!" He shouted as he quickly got to his feet and ran over to him. Tifa who was also lying on the beach opened her eyes. "Cloud"

"Tifa are you alright?"

"Ye- Cloud! Your side!" she exclaimed as she sat up.

Cloud looked to what she was talking about a saw that his right side was bleeding heavily. _I must of hit it on the rocks _he thought "It's alright Tifa it's nothing"

"Nothing? Don't lie to me Cloud Strife"

He sighed and lay down next to her to allow her to look at his injury.

"Yo Tifa, Spiky" A voice called from behind them. Tifa turned around.

"Barret, Cid, Nanaki, Reeve, you made it" Tifa said happily.

"Only just Teef" Cid said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Where's Yuffie?"

"She's…" Cid turned around "Here"

Yuffie stumbled up to them. "Hey guys…wait…" Yuffie looked around the group. "Where's Vincent?"

"We thought he would be with you guys" Cloud said gritting his teeth as pain ran up and down his side.

Vincent could hear his heat beating faintly against his chest. He opened his eyes and saw the rocky beach he was lying on. Reflexively he tried to move his body but let out a hoarse scream as pain attacked him mercilessly. Looking to his right side he noticed that his arm was bent at an unnatural angle. _I won't be able to shoot Cerberus if something comes_ he thought. A rustle in the bushes broke his trail of thoughts. Vincent looked up and saw a huge shadowy figure emerge. Instinctively he tried to stand up but fell back over as his legs gave way from underneath him. He looked at his legs and saw them badly cut and one of them which was a compounded fracture. He turned back towards the figure and noticed it had vanished. What he didn't know was the figure was a lot closer than he thought.

**Authors Note: Sorry about the wait I was busy revising. I hope you are enjoying the story so far and I will see you next chapter. **

**A Compounded Fracture - the bone is visible through the skin, or a deep wound that exposes the bone through the skin. Just incase you didn't know what I was talking about.**


	9. Hang In There

**Chapter 9 – Hang in there**

Yuffie and the others were running in order to find any trace of Vincent. Tifa was further behind the others helping Cloud who was holding his side and taking his time so he wouldn't disturb his injury. _Come on Vincent where are you? _Yuffie thought as she ran through the trees.

Vincent looked up around look for the figure but didn't see anything. His attention turned to his injured arm and leg. _I'm too vulnerable out in the open like this _Vincent thought as he sat himself up against a nearby rock. A shadow came over him; he turned around and saw the figure was actually a man dressed in black. "What do you want?" Vincent asked. The man flipped off the rock and landed in front of Vincent. The man had short black hair and green eyes and looked about 30 years old.

"You going to have to come with me" The man said as he pulled out a gun. Vincent stared at the man and tried to look of an escape. "I wouldn't try to escape if I were you"

"You shot the airship down"

"Yes I did, I couldn't let you simply go back to your home"

"Why do you want me?"

"It is not I who wants you"

"Then who?"

"Why Hojo of course"

_Hojo_ Vincent thought. _Why would he want me back…wait!_

_*Flashback*_

_Hojo went into the back room and pulled out the 8 knotted whip again and a belt and approached Vincent. "You're going to be Shinra's greatest weapon" Hojo swung the belt at Vincent making him flinch. "What are you going to do about it Valentine?" Hojo shouted as he hit Vincent again. "Get mad" Hojo continued to hit Vincent with the belt and decided that it wasn't getting him anywhere, so Hojo changed to the 8 knotted whip. Vincent's eyes filled with fear as Hojo approached him and started hitting him with that instead. Suddenly something inside Vincent snapped. Crimson eyes turned blood red as Vincent lunged at Hojo only to be pulled back by the chains._

_*End of Flashback*_

_Shinra's greatest weapon?_ Vincent couldn't put the pieces together. He looked back up at the man who had now loaded the gun and aimed it at Vincent. "Vincent!" A voice came from the trees making Vincent turn in that direction. The man saw that Vincent was distracted and shot him. The dart that came from the gun hit his neck releasing the liquid inside before dropping to the ground. Crimson eyes began to close and Vincent's body slumped to the ground. The man looked to the trees and saw some figures emerging. "Looks like you got lucky this time" He said as he ran away from the scene.

"Vincent!" Vincent heard someone shout. He didn't have to wait for long to find out who it was. "Vincent you okay?" Another voice asked. Vincent focused his eyes on the people around him and saw AVALANCHE gathered around him. He saw Tifa look at him and then to his injuries. "Cid can you try and find a large bit of bark off a tree." She said her eyes not moving from his leg. "Barret go and find some fern leaves and vines from the forest." She continued. Vincent's vision started to blur into black. Tifa looked back at his face noticed his eyes shutting. "Vincent, don't go to sleep, stay with us" She said shaking him slightly making Vincent's vision come back.

His eyes were dull and his face was pallid and covered in a thin layer of sweat. Tifa looked around and spotted something shining green in the sea "Yuffie stay with him, I'll be right back" Tifa said as she stood up and out of Vincent's sight. Seconds later Tifa came back with something in her hand. "What did you find?" Yuffie asked.

"Cure Materia"

"What? How can that be?"

"I think we found where the ship landed"

Tifa walked up to Vincent and knelt by his side. She saw that his breathing was laboured, sweat clung to his skin and his eyes drooped. "Vincent I'm going to fix your leg and arm okay" Tifa explained. Vincent looked at her with glazed eyes and nodded briefly. He winced and jerked his leg when Tifa began to set his leg. "Vincent I know it hurts" Tifa said as she pulled away from the injury.

"Hey Tifa we got what you asked" A voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Cid and Barret coming towards her.

"Thanks Guys"

Tifa dragged a large bit of bark up to Vincent to measure it against him; luckily it was wider and longer than him. She then got another bit of wood and carefully put Vincent's leg on the bark and tied it down gently with the vines to stop him from moving it. Yuffie came by the other side of Vincent and held his gauntlet hand in which she removed the gauntlet first. Carefully Tifa put the bone back into Vincent's leg and set it with the cure materia; which left a large scar running down his leg. Tifa then moved to his right arm and twisted it back to its normal angle making the joint crack loudly. Quickly she healed that up with the materia as well. Vincent thanked Tifa as she went to heal Cloud's side. "Don't push yourself Vincent, you will still need to rest" Tifa said after she finished healing Cloud. In the distance they could hear Cid shouting in joy "I don't believe it, our weapons are here" he said happily as he got them out the sea. "The weapon storage room must of crashed here"

Later that day the group moved under cover of the trees. Barret used the bark from earlier and lit a fire; everyone sat around it and discussed how to continue their journey. All except Vincent. He was lying away from the fire under some ferns. He heard footsteps behind him but didn't bother to turn around. "Vincent?" A voice said, he knew it was Yuffie. "Vincent, are you okay?"

"I don't know anymore Yuffie" he replied.

"What's wrong?"

Vincent gave no answer

"Vincent, what is it?" She asked again, this caught the attention of the group.

Yuffie saw his eyes flicker and grew a bolder red. He gripped his head in pain and screamed in agony making the rest of AVALANCHE run up to him. His scream turned into a roar and his pupils turned into slits. "Vincent! Come back!" Yuffie shouted in horror as Vincent roared and ran off into the forest leaving the group stunned.

**Authors Note: Thank you for those who have kept reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will see you next time. Bye.**


	10. Comfort in the Rain

**Chapter 10 – Comfort in the Rain**

_Vincent _Yuffie thought in shock she didn't even notice that Cloud had come by the side of her. "Yuffie?" He said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We need to find him" She replied eyes not moving from the direction Vincent ran.

"Yuffie we can't"

"No we can, we can go out there and find him!"

Cloud looked at her "Yuffie, he's…"

"He's what Cloud!"

"He's too dangerous"

These words hit Yuffie hard. Cloud walked back with the others to the fire leaving Yuffie to her thoughts.

Later that night when everyone was asleep Yuffie picked up her weapon and headed in the direction where Vincent ran. After a few minutes of walking Yuffie saw a something under some branches that hung over a large rock, which created a shelter. As she looked closer she recognised a red cape under the branches. She ran towards the shelter and kneeled down near the entrance, there lying down was Vincent. He had his back to her and his breathing was uneven. "Vincent" She said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yuffie" His voice was barely a whisper. After receiving a reply she entered the made shelter and kneeled in front of him so she could see his face. His pupils were normal again but the skin around his eyes was red. The rock he was resting his head on had splashes of water on it. She looked up and saw crystal like tears fall from his eyes and onto the rock. The roar of thunder and the sound of rain bouncing off the ground snapped Yuffie out of thought.

"Let's get somewhere that's more sheltered." Yuffie said pulling Vincent gently o his feet. Together they walked further into the forest and came across an abandoned cave.

Cloud and others heard the roar of thunder and felt the rain and sighed. Cloud was about to close his eyes again when he noticed someone was missing. _Wait a minute where's Yuffie?_ Cloud thought as he sat up. _I bet she's gone after Vincent_ Cloud thought. "Tifa" He said shaking Tifa by the shoulders making her wake up.

"What…What is it Cloud?"

"Yuffie's gone after Vincent"

"What!"

"I'm going to look for her"

"Cloud no, besides Yuffie has probably taken shelter due to the storm, she wouldn't look for Vincent in this weather" _Though I wouldn't put it pass her._

"Your right, we'll find her in the morning" Cloud lay next to Tifa and began to fall asleep.

_Be careful Yuffie_ Tifa thought as she went back to sleep as well.

Yuffie helped Vincent sit down against the wall of the cave and then sat next to him. His eyes were still full of sadness. "Vince…What's wrong?"

He didn't reply, he was lost in thought. "Vincent…tell me what's wrong" Yuffie said putting a hand on his shoulder. Tears filled Vincent's eyes and were ready to fall down his face. Seeing this, Yuffie put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. "Just cry Vincent...its okay" Yuffie whispered to him. Hot torrents of grief coursed down his face, his racking sobs lost in the strong winds that were now blowing outside, running alongside the thunderstorm. Tightening her embrace Yuffie rubbed his back to try and help calm him down and help him through what ever was wrong. In this state he wasn't the strong gunman she had met all those years ago. Now he was vulnerable, scared and distressed. "Wha…what's happening…t…to…me?" Vincent cried as he tried to fight back against his tears. He pulled away from Yuffie and drew his knees up to his chest encircled them with his arms while rocking back and forth like a frightened child. His voice seemed caught in his throat as he struggled to form the words as tears fell from his bloodshot eyes and rolled down his face, he sobbed into his hands "Why me?"

"Vincent" Yuffie said but was given no answer. He sat there still rocking back and forth trapped in his own dark illusion he had created in his mind. Yuffie didn't want to leave him on his own but she needed to get some wood so they can stay warm through the night. "Vincent I'll be back in a minute." She said as she exited the cave.

She was travelling through the forest gathering wood when a thought crossed her mind. _Cloud is going to kill me in the morning_. Quietly laughing to herself she picked up more wood, two rocks and headed back towards the cave. Once she reached the cave she split the wood into two piles, one in which she lit by creating sparks by hitting the two rocks together. The other pile she put to the side so she could add more wood later. She walked over to Vincent who was on the opposite side of the fire watching the flames dance around in the air and spread itself across the wood.

She turned her head and saw his eyes fixed on the wavy movements the fire. Tears still threatened to fall from his eyes and down his pallid skin. From where she was Yuffie could see his eyes were slowly beginning to shut, however he continued to try and force them to stay open. Eventually he was lying down not to close to the fire and shut his eyes Yuffie stayed up for a while and watched Vincent sleep, she remembered when he had a nightmare on The Shera; even the memory of it made her shudder. She watched him for a bit longer and then lay in front of him and began to fall asleep. As she was drifting sleep she felt Vincent put his arms around her and pulled her close.

**Authors Note: Thank you for reading this chapter, hope you have enjoyed it. See you next time. Bye**


	11. Betrayal

**Chapter 11 – Betrayal **

Vincent was slowly coming around from unconsciousness when he heard someone near the entrance of the cave. Opening his eyes, he tried to focus his vision on the approaching figure. All he could see was a black figure and the reflection of the sun bouncing off a metal object. The sun shone brightly in his eyes causing him shut his eyes and look away. Seconds after something grabbed him by the throat, threw him against the wall and held him there. Crimson eyes looked at the figure as Vincent's vision focused. _It can't be…_Vincent thought as he looked at his attacker. _Cloud?_

Cloud had his right hand around Vincent's neck and his left hand had his sword which was stuck in the ground to add more pressure to Vincent's throat.

"Cloud what are you doing?" A voice asked.

Vincent looked to his left and saw Yuffie running towards them. "Yuffie I told you he was too dangerous!" Cloud replied angrily.

"Cloud! It's not his fault!"

"I told you not to look for him Yuffie. I ordered everyone not to!" Cloud's right hand tightened around Vincent's neck

"So you would leave him out there on his own to die would you!"

"If that is what it takes to protect everyone else then yes"

"How can you say that Cloud!"

"My job is to protect the group and …"

"And what Cloud? You don't class Vincent as part of the group now, is that it?"

"No that's not it it's…"

"What Cloud? That his emotions and demons are all over the place."

"Yuffie he's…"

"Yeah I know what you're going to say he's dangerous, well that didn't cross your mind when he was saving you from Omega and Deepground!"

"But…"

"Or maybe the time he saved you from the Emerald Weapon."

"Yuffie! I am the leader of this group you do as I say! I'm doing this to protect you and the others!"

"I won't obey anybody who doesn't see clearly. May I remind you Cloud, your head wasn't exactly screwed on properly when we all first met, so don't blame Vincent for what is happening to him!"

Yuffie looked at Vincent whose body was falling limp due to Cloud's hand closing his throat. _I'm sorry Cloud_ Vincent thought as he lifted his gauntlet and scratched Cloud across his face causing him to let go. Vincent fell to the floor gasping for air; Yuffie was by his side quickly. "What the hell did you think you were doing Cloud?" Yuffie shouted at Cloud who had fallen to the floor due to the impact of Vincent's claw. Yuffie and Vincent looked at Cloud and saw him with materia in his hand.

"Ultima!" Cloud cried. The materia unleashed as a bright green ball of light at Vincent and Yuffie. Vincent with his remaining strength pushed Yuffie out the way and took the hit from the spell. The green light exploded as soon as it touched Vincent surrounding him in smoke. A few seconds passed and the smoke cleared revealing the gunman with numerous deep wounds that spilt blood over the cave floor. Exhausted Vincent fell to his knees and looked at Cloud who was casting another spell. "Sleep" Tiny purple motes surrounded Vincent and coalesced into a haze causing Vincent to fall into a deep sleep.

"Why the hell did you cast Ultima on him Cloud, you could have just used sleep!" Yuffie screamed.

"You're lucky I didn't cast Hades on him" Cloud growled as he approached Yuffie. Instinctively she stepped backwards away from Cloud. "Sorry Yuffie" Cloud hit the pressure point on her neck, knocking her unconscious. Cloud looked around and picked his sword up and strapped it to his back. After he went over to Vincent and picked him up and walked out of the cave.

Outside was an open black, metal prison cart which was drawn by a large shadow creeper. Cloud looked down at Vincent, his body was torn and battered, and trickles of blood were coming from his nose and mouth. Looking back up at the open cart, Cloud threw Vincent inside and sealed the back of it to the top and sides with magic. There was a gap in the middle of each side that allowed only a small visual radius of outside the cart. Cloud mounted a golden chocobo that had silver armour on it. He held the reins and looked at the landscape checking to see if anyone had followed him up to the cave.

"Is everything ready?" asked a voice by the side of Cloud. He turned to the direction of the voice.

"Yes he won't get out of that, we need to move him quickly though" Cloud replied.

"Good, I hope you didn't ruff him up too much"

"I did what I had to, so the sleep spell would have more effect on him"

The owner of the other voice walked around to Cloud, Hojo smiled once he had reached Cloud and looked into the cart. "Excellent, you have done well Cloud."

**Authors Note: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next time. Thanks for reading. Bye.**


	12. Broken Bonds

**Chapter 12 - Broken Bonds**

"Yuffie, Yuffie wake up" Yuffie opened her eyes and saw Tifa sitting in front of her. "Yuffie what happened?" Sudden flashbacks filled her mind of the recent event.

"Cloud"

"Cloud?"

"He…attacked us…me and Vincent"

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know"

"Hey Teef you may want to look at this." Cid called from the entrance of the cave. Tifa helped Yuffie to her feet and went over to Cid.

"What is it?"

"Tracks, by a cart, two creatures and there's some blood on the floor as well"

"Vincent!" Yuffie shouted.

"What the hell you on about?" Cid asked Yuffie.

"Cloud used Ultima on Vincent and then Sleep"

"They must have gone that way" Cid said pointing to a mountain pass.

Vincent opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the cell he was in before; the so called meal was still across the stone walls. The sound of keys caught Vincent's attention. Slowly the door opened revealing Hojo. "It's time Valentine" he said.

Vincent growled and lunged at Hojo, there were no chains that prevented his attack. Hojo held up a devise to Vincent's chest, it glowed and shot electric straight into Vincent making him fall to the floor. Hojo laughed and pulled Vincent to his feet. He half dragged Vincent into a large room, much like the one he fought the guard hounds in. "Let's see how powerful you really are" Hojo said as he locked the door after he exited the room. _What is that suppose to mean? _Vincent thought. The sound of movement reverberated through Vincent's ears. He turned and saw another figure on the other side of the room. "Who's there?" Vincent called.

"Your opposition"

Vincent looked closer and saw a swordsman with blond spiked up hair and bright blue eyes in which the pupil was a slit. "Cloud?"

"The Cloud you knew is gone"

"What happened to you Cloud? Why are you working for Hojo? Answer me!" The last part of the sentence came out as a growl.

Cloud said nothing and got his sword ready. "It's time to end this Vincent"

"No Cloud I'm not going to fight you"

"You have no choice Vincent" Cloud sprinted towards Vincent and sliced him across his stomach.

"Cloud, I don't know what Hojo did to you but I'm going to break through to you one way or the other" Vincent staggered slightly before running at Cloud with his gauntlet ready for battle.

Yuffie and the others followed the tracks up the pass and saw an old building. "You guys stay here I will go look for Vincent and Cloud." Yuffie said turning to the others.

"Yuffie we can't let you go in there own your own" Cid replied.

"I lost Vincent; I need to get him back"

The others stood in shock but understood. "Alright then Yuffie, but if anything happens, you call us straight away" Cid said.

"I will, don't worry" After Yuffie ran into the dark entrance of the building.

Cloud swung his sword cutting Vincent's side. Vincent ducked Cloud's second blow and scratched his thigh with his gauntlet. Cloud lifted his sword to do an overhead swipe. Vincent saw this and blocked it with his gauntlet, their faces inches apart. "Why don't you use Cerberus Vincent…scared?" Cloud sneered. Vincent growled in frustration and threw Cloud into the wall to the left of him. Blood dripped from Cloud's lips. "Lucky shot Vincent"

"Cloud snap out of it" Vincent commanded.

Cloud's pupils went back to normal "Vincent, help me" Then his pupils returned to slits.

"Cloud break free of Hojo's control I know you can do it."

Cloud screamed and held his head "Vincent there's a control on the back of my neck, destroy it quick"

Vincent ran up to Cloud dodging the blows from his sword and pulled off the device on Cloud's neck, his pupils went back to normal and he collapsed on the ground. "Cloud are you alright?" Vincent kneeled beside him.

"I'm fine; you've got to find Hojo"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Cloud nodded and the gunman departed from his side. Azure eyes watched him go and eventually closed.

**Authors Note: Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading. See you next time. Bye.**


	13. Unleash the Demon

**Chapter 13 – Unleash the Demon**

Vincent ran into the next room and looked around. Standing in the middle of the room was Hojo. "Hojo" He growled.

"Hmm…it seems Cloud had more will in him than I thought"

"Hojo how did you put that thing on him?"

"Well it was simple, I shot a dart at him when he was walking up to the cave to find you and Yuffie, then when he was unconscious I clipped the devise in. But no matter…I have something you may want to know about"

"And what's that?" Vincent said pointing Cerberus at Hojo.

Hojo turned around; he had Yuffie with a knife her throat. Vincent's eyes widened as he saw the scene before him. "Hojo leave her out of this!"

"Drop your weapon Vincent"

Vincent kept his gun level with Hojo's head.

"You have five seconds Vincent…5"

Vincent looked at Yuffie who was staring back at him in panic "Don't do it Vincent!" She yelled.

"4"

Crimson eyes switched from Yuffie to Cerberus.

"3"

"Vincent forget about me, kill Hojo"

"2"

Vincent's right hand began to shake.

"1"

The clattering sound of the gun filled the room. Hojo grinned. "Now let her go!" Vincent snarled.

"Kick your weapon towards me then Valentine" Vincent did what he said.

Hojo released Yuffie and pushed her towards Vincent. "Vincent why did you do that?"

"I couldn't risk you getting killed"

In the corner of Vincent's eye he could see something coming towards them fast. Vincent pushed Yuffie behind him. Yuffie had her eyes closed. The object went through Vincent's chest. "Vincent!" Yuffie shouted as she heard him scream. He clutched his chest in agony and fell to the floor. He looked down at his chest and saw the knife sticking out of it. Hojo sneered as he aimed Cerberus at Vincent's head. Yuffie was frozen she could only watch as Hojo pulled the trigger. Click. Yuffie looked at Hojo who was shocked. "What why isn't it firing?" Hojo said stunned. Vincent chuckled to himself.

"I never loaded the gun and it only uses a certain type of ammo so you can't reload it"

"What!"

"Yeah! Nice one Vincent!" Yuffie exclaimed while jumping into the air.

"Hmm…you think you could outsmart me Vincent…Well im the one having the last laugh." Hojo laughed pointing at Vincent.

"What do you mean?" Vincent questioned.

"See for your self"

Vincent looked down at his chest the knife was glowing. "What?"

"Like I said before you're going to be Shinra's greatest weapon"

The knife had a liquid running down from the handle. "What is this?"

"Similar to the thing that helped me control Cloud only far more powerful."

"Vincent?" Yuffie said as she touched his shoulder.

His heart pounded furiously as the liquid was being transported through his bloodstream. He gripped his head and screamed. His eyes grew a bolder red and his pupils turned into slits. Screams turned into roars. Nails turned into claws. Two huge crimson wings broke the skin of his spine. His veins turned black. Horns grew out of his head. "Vincent?" Yuffie asked as she walked towards him.

Fierce red eyes focused on her. Yuffie stepped back as she saw no trace of the old Vincent in its eyes. Vincent stood up and started to approach her. "Vincent, I know you're in there somewhere" Yuffie quivered as he got closer. "Vincent please" Tears were stinging her eyes. Suddenly Reeve came through the door with his gun aimed at Vincent.

"Vincent!" He yelled.

Vincent turned around and chuckled "Do you really think I'm going believe you're going to shoot me Reeve?"

Reeve kept his gun level with Vincent's heart. "If I must I will"

Vincent smirked and charged at Reeve knocking the gun out of his hand. Turning around Vincent aimed the gun at Reeve. "Your life is over Reeve"

"No! Vincent don't!" Yuffie screamed

Vincent fired the gun. "Reeve!" Yuffie shouted as his body hit the floor, tears were streaming down her face.

Vincent's eyes widened. _What have I done?_ He thought as he looked at Reeve. "Vincent!" Vincent turned his attention to Yuffie who had her Conformer ready for battle. _Yuffie? Why is she…? _Vincent's thoughts were interrupted as Yuffie threw her weapon at him, hitting his shoulder. Vincent didn't even see her run towards him. She gripped the knife and pulled it out of his chest making him revert back to his normal self. "Yuffie?" He said looking at her.

"It's nice to have you back Vincent"

Vincent winced and fell to his knees. He looked down and saw the hole in his chest where the knife had once been.

"You may have overcome that but this time Vincent you will not return" Hojo said pointing the gun he had shot him with in the past. "Surly you remembered this gun"

Vincent growled and a red circle surrounded him. His body had begun to change into Chaos. Chaos looked around the room and his eyes rested on Yuffie who was stood beside him. "Vincent you broke the seal to your demons, but how?".

Chaos smirked "I must have got that angry, the seal couldn't stand it…Yuffie help Reeve" He took his attention off Yuffie and onto Hojo. "Hojo this ends now"

**Authors Note: Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you next chapter. Bye.**


	14. Battle of Fate

**Chapter 14 – Battle of Fate**

Chaos stared into Hojo's eyes waiting for him to make the first move. Hojo lifted his gun ready to fire. Chaos timed it just right and dodged out the way. Holding out his right hand Chaos summoned Death Penalty to his hand. He turned, aimed and fire. The bullet shot threw the air and skimmed Hojo's shoulder who had dodged from getting shot in the head. Chaos growled in frustration and lunged at the scientist. Hojo reached into his pocket and brought out the shock devise from before. Electric pulsed painful through his chest; it was applied directly to his heart. Chaos screamed, fell to the floor and turned back to Vincent. He winced and turned to Hojo. Vincent asked gazing at Hojo was laughing hysterically. "Look like your plan back fired Vincent." Vincent shut his eyes and tried to connect with Chaos.

'_Chaos. Are you okay?'__ Vincent asked._

'_**I'll be fine but you need to beat Hojo.'**__Chaos replied._

Vincent opened his eyes and saw Hojo still laughing. Slowly Vincent stood up, some joints still aching and twitching from the electric shock. "You can't even save yourself Vincent never mind anybody else"

"Hojo."

"You honestly thought you could beat me"

"I don't think I know I can beat you"

"We'll see about that" Hojo fired the gun at Vincent. The bullet rocketed towards Vincent. Hojo was sneering as the bullet got closer towards its target. Vincent lifted his gauntlet up and the bullet rebounded and fell to the floor. "What?" Hojo said in horror.

"Hojo…I'm ending this story one way or another"

"Not so fast Vincent" Hojo pulled a lever and two hellhounds ran into the room. "You remember these don't you?"

The two Hellhounds growled and lunged at Vincent. He watched as they got closer and closer. Readying his gauntlet Vincent swung it at one of the hellhounds knocking it to the other side of the room. The other one saw Vincent distracted and clawed him down his back. The hell hound on the floor recovered and joined to help the other one. Vincent broke free of the two creatures and was about to swing his gauntlet down on one of them when the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the room. Vincent felt a sharp pain rip through his chest; he looked down and saw a huge bullet hole. His vision swam and he fell to the floor. The two hellhounds pounced on the fallen gunman and started to attack him again. _I'm finished_ thought Vincent as waves of pain washed over his body every second. He could see one hellhound going for his throat; he closed his eyes and prepared for the attack. But it never came. Instead a howl of pain was heard. Vincent opened his eyes and saw the hellhounds attention was on something else.

There was a sound of a sharp object cutting through the air, followed by howls and two thuds. Looking to his left Vincent saw the two hellhounds lying dead on the floor. To his left he saw a figure facing Hojo was had his back turned. The figure silently threw their weapon and hit Hojo in the back. The figure ran up to Hojo and finished him off. Vincent tried to force his vision to focus on the figure. _Yuffie?_ He thought before his yes closed.

It's over" Yuffie thought happily. But something caught her eye. There lying to the side on the floor was the bloodied form of Vincent. "No" Yuffie whispered as she ran up to him. "Vincent can you hear me? The gunman's eyes open slowly.

"Yuffie?" He rasped weakly. He looked around the room and saw Hojo's dead body. "You did it Yuffie" Yuffie shook her head.

"We did it together Vincent"

He smirked slightly."Yeah I suppose we did" His breathing was uneven and had a wheeze within it. Blood was pouring out of the numerous wounds down his body. "Yuffie"

"Yes Vincent"

"Thank you for being there for me for all these years"

"No problem Vince" Crimson eyes shut and his body slumped.

"Vincent…Vincent!"

The members of AVALANCHE were looking at the doorway of the building when a figure came out of the shadows. As the figure got closer they saw that it was Yuffie carrying Vincent. Tifa ran up to her as she put Vincent on the floor. "Cloud call an ambulance now!" Cid shouted. Yuffie was kneeling by Vincent's side and crying into his bloodied chest.

**Authors Note: Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you have enjoyed it. See you next time. Bye.**


	15. Two Weeks Later

**Chapter 15 – Two weeks later**

Yuffie was kneeling down in front of the great memorial in the churchyard that had red roses over the grave's step. _Valentine_. That name she knew so well, the name everyone loved and feared. Her friend. The silent gunslinger. Vincent Valentine. She had never known someone as brave and silent as him, he was a true friend, he would risk his own life to save that of another and never give up when he was in a tough situation. He supported everyone who needed him, he would listen to other people's worries and try to hep anyway he could. The sky darkened and the cloud's released their tears. Yuffie stood up, took one final glance at the grave and walked out of the graveyard.

The house seemed so empty without Vincent wondering around the living room or reading a book in the corner like he had done many times when she had come to visit him. The rooms even when lit seemed dull and dark as if the life of the house itself had vanished into a pit of despair. She could hear the voices of her friends from that day two weeks before. Marlene was crying on Tifa who was being comforted by Cloud. Marlene had been sobbing the words that remained in Yuffie's head ever since. _"Why, why did Uncle Vincent have to…?" _She couldn't finish her sentence_._ Those words stung her heart as much as the words of the doctor. _"I'm afraid I have some bad news…"_ Yuffie rubbed the tears from her eyes and tried to forget the memory. She walked slowly up the stairs dragging her feet slightly. Her hand hovered over one of the bedroom door handles. She breathed out slowly and opened the door; the room like the others was dull and drained of life. The once beautiful crimson drapes on the black bed were now dark and dreary.

She sat on the bed and looked to her left at the scarlet bed sheets. She reached out and rested her hand on the sheets and the pallid, cold form that lay inside them. Shaking it gently she said its name. "Vincent" The figure did not stir. "Vincent, come on wake up" The figure's eyes twitched before opening revealing dull crimson eyes.

"Good morning Yuffie" He rasped weakly.

"How are you feeling? And don't lie" Yuffie said before Vincent's brain had the time to think.

"I still don't feel very well"

"Do you need help standing?

Vincent nodded as Yuffie was helping him sit up. She came around to Vincent's side and put one of his arms over her shoulder and helped him to stand up. His legs were shaky and unable to support the little weight his body possessed. Ever since Vincent came back from the battle with Hojo Yuffie had been staying at Vincent's house and helping him recover and doing any jobs he would be unable to do in his current state.

"Oh, by the way Vincent I took the flowers to grave like you asked"

"Thank you Yuffie, not just for that but for being there even when I was falling to nothing"

"No problem"

She helped him walked down the stairs, allowing him to be on the side with the railing just in case he needed it. After finally arriving at the bottom Yuffie slowly sat Vincent down on a chair. Vincent exhaled leaned against the chairs back while closing his eyes. "Do you want to go in the garden Vince, to get some fresh air?" Yuffie asked as she stood behind the chair. Vincent nodded. Yuffie went out of the room and came back with his cape and a red blanket. She put the cape around him and then the blanket. "I don't want you to get sicker by not being warm"

Vincent couldn't help but smile slightly. "I saw that" Yuffie grinned at him. She opened the back door and then pushed the chair. The wheels on the chair turned as it was pushed outside into the vast, lush garden. Yuffie carried on pushing him until they came to a bench under the shade of the trees in front of a pond with a water feature in the middle. "So Vince, what did the doctor say to you yesterday?" She said sitting down on the bench.

Vincent took his gaze off the pond "He told me that I should be out of this wheelchair in about a week, he said I should practice walking though"

Yuffie smiled "That's good to hear" Things were definitely starting to look up.

**Authors Note: Well that's the end of the story. I really hope you have enjoyed it please review and tell me what you thought. I know a lot of you have been wanting to do this throughout the story so you can now hug Vincent, be careful he's still breakable. Thank you for reading and I hope I will see you in future stories. Bye *Hugs Vincent***


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